Several of you have asked about continuing a forum for English practice beyond the actual term at KNU. That motivated me to start a new, better forum that is not attached to KNU. Of course, this has nothing to do with your grades or coursework, it's just a global news discussion forum for those of you interested in keeping your English listening and discussion skills going.

There will be many cool new features added to it soon - for example, the capacity for you to chat live with voice and webcam (if you want) as well with text entries. You will also be able to leave voice messages or text messages not only about news articles, but common discussion topics, important English tests, and even Business English issues.

In addition, I am going to contact all of my many colleagues and contacts around the world and encourage them to get their students to join in. Then it will be truly international.

For now, I sincerely hope you'll join in with this discussion forum. It will be a great way to maintain contact with you all, and a great way for you to stay interested in English and keep developing.

Wow~ It's just amazing that you can make this kind of webpage so fast!!You must be very good at computer.Actually I am afraid of using computer. Because I alway think that using computeris difficult and I am originally bad at using computer. So I have never tried to do somework with computer. I even don't have my own homepage which almost everybody has. Some people are very good at uploading pictures, musics or making short clips. I know I have to learn how to do it. But I am just afriad.

So nowadays, I am suprised very often because of you.Your work, it is just a pie in the sky to me. I want to manage a website(forum?)like this someday and encourage my students to take part in actively. I will try someday.Thank you for showing me this good method to learn English.~See ya~~~

Wow~It's really good site to listen and dictate. Jason always give us great sources of English. Thank you so much. I am listening a topic " Solar bra gives eco-friendly charge" and laughing at.It's amazing invention.People usually regard bra as a symbol of women's sexy but it's changed.It just focuses on a function as charging a cell phone or an iPod and be called eco-friendly charge bra.

Yesterday, I was a little surprised that you told a joke by mentioning the English textbook in Korea as a "toilet paper." I agree with you. I teach the second graders in high school. Whenever I look into the textbook, I feel miserable. It is too difficult. And it has many old-fashioned expressions that native speakers rarely use. I wonder if it is necessary for them to learn these kinds of expressions and read too difficult texts for their ability. Instead of that, I think it's better for them to learn survival English or how to communicate. I think the problem in English education in Korea is so serious. It makes you, the English education expert, call the textbook "the toilet paper."^^I hope things improve.^^

Joo Un-jin wrote:Thank you very much for giving us this useful information.

Yesterday, I was a little surprised that you told a joke by mentioning the English textbook in Korea as a "toilet paper." I agree with you. I teach the second graders in high school. Whenever I look into the textbook, I feel miserable. It is too difficult. And it has many old-fashioned expressions that native speakers rarely use. I wonder if it is necessary for them to learn these kinds of expressions and read too difficult texts for their ability. Instead of that, I think it's better for them to learn survival English or how to communicate. I think the problem in English education in Korea is so serious. It makes you, the English education expert, call the textbook "the toilet paper."^^I hope things improve.^^

Hi Un-jin,

Well, actually, I think I said "in some cases the textbooks might be more usefully applied as toilet paper"... so I'm not saying that every single textbook is bad, or that textbooks themselves are useless. Given that I wrote 20 textbooks myself, I really should be careful what I say! I also had a good laugh when Sung-han said "no, the paper is too hard and stiff to be good toilet paper..." I also agreed with Haesol when she talked about wanting to use a colorful and innovative textbook like Widgets in her classes as a learner. Even at university level, the quality of textbooks can be really appalling.

But Un-jin you're right when you mention the feeling of misery when looking at some textbooks, and you are 1000% right when you say it would be better for students to be learning survival English and communication skills. I hope one day people like you will be in the position to make the changes we need in Korean English Education. You are certainly talented and professional enough. Focusing on the current problems is only useful if we set our minds to make the changes when and how we can.

By the way, I really hope you'll join the new forum. Your comments are always insightful and interesting.

I'm always worried about my poor English.Now, I think I have to do something special to improve mine. Thanks! You look like someone who studies how to help his students.I'm willing to enjoy the new forum with joy!Thanks for good suggestion!

Your suggestion will be a wonderful help to us. No doubt about it! And some of our graduate school students have shown a great enthusiasm over their study in the graudate school. They are the most motivated students that i ever saw. They will try to make the site work well and contribute to its successful operation. However, people like me, who say they want to improve English proficiency, but don't make as great efforts as they utter they will, need to be reminded that they need 3Ps. They need to practice their English every day every where. Whenever i attend the Thursday class, i make up my mind to try harder and harder and think this is the opportunity that i have sought for. But i fail to satisfy my 'ephemeral' urge to 'master' English. I need to be constantly reminded that what is really important is a little time for practice. Thanks as always.

I have to respect your diligence for opening new tasks and discussions. Shamefully, I didn't open all the contents ( including suggestions and replies.) in this forum. Now I feel I study with amazing students full of motivations to study. I respect all of you.. And I will try to join the forum.. ^^

Whenever I see your diligent works at this forum, it reminds of the foreign teacher who taught me composition at the program for English teachers. He was so pushy and strict that we had a hard time doing a lot of assignments he gave us. I was so impressed to hear his saying " It's easy to be lazy ." It was his kind of motto. Nowadays I deeply and totally nod my head at his remark. You are the most diligent person ever seen.

Thank you so much, Jason. Now I have numerous sources to study English. With all of these, what I can do and have to do is to keep studying hard. In the past, I was not satisfied with my environment for studying English. I was like "I wish I had been born or lived in English speaking country." "I wished I had been obscenely rich that I could do my college in the states or hire a native private tutor." However, you, as such a great teacher, enlightened me that I was obsessed by stupid ideas. I didn't try enough but I attributed my failure to my circumstances. By now, I know that since I have abundant resources to study without going abroad, improving English entirely depends on me, I mean my eagerness and efforts.

May. 24 - Eight pandas from earthquake-hit Sichuan province in China are on their way to Beijing to entertain tourists during the Summer Olympic Games.

They were transported on the first the vehicle to leave their damaged home at Wolong. The road to the area has been blocked by landslides since China's most deadly earthquake in decades. Once they reached Chengdu they were flown to Beijing where they're expected to attract six million tourists.

May. 24 - Police have clashed with demonstrators in Naples after a night of riots over the Italian government's attempt to end the chronic rubbish crisis.

The government has decided to open new dumps against the wishes of local people. Two police and two protestors were hurt when police tried to remove a bus which was being used to block access to a landfill site in the Chiaiano neighbourhood.